ATKINS — The Atkins School District has hired Jennifer Binnie as assistant girls softball coach and assistant junior high and senior high volleyball coach.

Binnie has been the assistant softball coach for the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Lady Bears in Conway since 2008, where she helped coach the Lady Bears to their first Southland Conference Tournament postseason berth since the program joined the conference.

Atkins athletic director Charlie Sorrels said her application for the open assistant volleyball coach job came at the exact right moment and was the exact right fit.

“We had a lot of interest in the volleyball position,” Sorrels said. “But at the high school level, you have to have teaching jobs available to go alongside the coaching jobs and there wasn’t a spot open that those people could fill. It just so happened that Jennifer applied and we had a spot available she could teach. It was very fortunate timing-wise.”

According to Sorrels, not many coaches are also qualified to teach at the elementary level — which is where the Atkins School District had an opening for teaching.

“She can teach anywhere from kindergarten to grade level four,” Sorrels said. “There’s just not a lot of coaches that are also elementary teachers,” he said. “That’s what was so hard about finding the right fit. There just aren’t a lot of coaches, period, that have elementary certification.”

Binnie was hired primarily to fill the assistant volleyball coach position, but Sorrels said it didn’t make sense to let her coaching abilities in softball go to waste.

During her time at UCA, Binnie accumulated a host of accomplishments. She helped coach 27 all-Southland Conference players, two Southland Conference Tournament team members, five National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) all-South region players, three College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) all-Academic student athletes, two COSIDA all-District student-athletes, eight Southland Conference all-Academic players, a Southland Conference Scholar Athlete, Southland Conference Newcomer of the year, Southland Conference hitter of the year, Southland Conference pitcher of the year and an Easton fastpitch all-American.

“Jennifer has really, really good softball experience,” Sorrels said. “She might be one of the premiere pitching coaches in the entire state.”

Binnie holds a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education / wellness science from Arkansas Tech University.

“We are just very, very proud to have her,” Sorrels said. “We think she’s going to be an excellent coach for our girls.”